Samsung is reportedly rethinking its ‘Galaxy’ branding

I only recently switched to a Pixel 9, and I have to say I love the experience. Android feels more polished, the user experience more cohesive, and I appreciate that. But Pixel’s don’t always have the best reputation, with bugs and other issues typically cropping up after release. But this year seems different, partly because Google has held Android 15 back, which means Pixel 9 users are on a more stable and tested system, at least for the time being. This has certainly worked in Google’s favor, but for some, I’m sure the reputation remains lacking.

So, I have a question for all you Pixel users out there. Why did you choose to buy a Pixel over any of the other OEMs? Is it brand loyalty, do you simply prefer the experience Google offers, or is there another factor why you choose Pixel over the competition?

Our reviews of the Pixel 9 trio might be live, but we’re far from done with talking about new Google hardware. Next up, we’re focusing our attention on Google’s second-gen foldable, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. New name, new design, same overwhelming focus on AI that wound up receiving some mixed feelings from all three of our previous Pixel 9 reviews. We’ll have plenty more to say about the Pixel 9 Pro Fold in the weeks to come — including a full review — but in the meantime, let us know what you’re most curious about, and we’ll be sure to address it just as soon as we can say more.

Let’s imagine for a second that you can only choose one type of secondary camera lens for your phone. The choices are either a telephoto lens or an ultrawide lens; you can’t have both. Which do you choose?

For me, I’d go with telephoto, as I have pets and enjoy taking pictures of them from a distance so that I can capture their excitement without interrupting their fun. Of course, ultrawide is handy if you enjoy taking images of landscapes and the like. So it’s a tough call all around. Still, you can only choose one, so which will it be? Hit the comments to let us know, as I have a feeling one will be more popular than the other.

The Pixel line is certainly known for taking great pictures, and the latest models are assuredly some of the best yet. This is why we wanted to ask everyone to share their favorite images taken with a Pixel 9, from the base model to the Pro and the Fold. So fire up Google Photos, grab your favorite shots, and slap them into the comments below. Let’s see what everyone has been shooting to inspire us all to take even better shots in the future.

I’ll go first. Below, you can see a shot of my Boston Terrier Eva rolling around like the maniac she is.

This week has been an absolute whirlwind. After flying across the country to experience Made By Google in-person, I’m back home and ready to hunker down for the incoming storm that is the Pixel review period. With the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro XL set to launch in just a week — and with the Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro Fold following soon after — we want to know what you want our reviewers to focus on by leaving a comment on this very post.

Our Pixel reviews tend to be some of the longest on the site — and considering I tend to write long reviews as it is, that’s saying something. Google’s focus on rolling out countless new software features can make it a real challenge to hit every change in-depth, though I’m always aiming to make sure our readers are as familiar with the experience as possible before they decide to upgrade. After all, the best reviews can help make up your mind for you.

Whether you’re curious about Gemini

We recently learned that the new Google TV Streamer remote works with older Chromecasts (read more about this in the linked article). So now that it is clear the new remote will work with older 4th gen devices, do you plan on picking up a replacement for your aging Chromecast? Sure, the Chromecast 4K and HD came with a remote, but perhaps it stopped working or is showing its age.

But this got me thinking: how many Chromecast owners actually want a replacement remote? So, hit the comments to let us know if you are planning to purchase the Google TV Streamer remote for your 4th gen Chromecast.

The Google Pixel camera visor has become a staple of Google’s design language since the Pixel 6. Unfortunately, it has some durability issues. Such a large, flat surface housing the cameras makes it susceptible to micro scratches, which can cause unsightly blemishes and potentially cloudy photos. 

In addition, whatever materials Google uses to construct the visor show wear within days. My Pixel 8 Pro’s visor looked like I ran it through my dryer after only two or three days in my pocket, and that was with being careful. I don’t abuse my phones, but that doesn’t matter. Drop a photo of your battered Pixel visor if you’re similarly frustrated with Google’s lack of build quality and how it makes your shiny new phone look beat up in the first days of ownership.

Did you know the latest Pixel 9s support video out over USB? Neither did I, but not that I know I am eager to get my hands on Google’s USB-C to HDMI cable so I can output video from my phone. As a matter of fact, the cable come from Cable Matters, and is also available on Amazon for less than Google’s pricing, which looks to be the place to snag one (read more about this in the linked coverage).

So here comes the big question. Have you ever needed to output video from your phone to the point you’ll go out of your way to buy a USB-C to HDMI cable? Hit the comments to let us know, as I can confidently say I’ll be ordering one shortly. After all, you may not need to output video from your phone frequently, but the one time you need to, it sure would be handy to have a cable on hand to do so.

Google’s released a boatload of new products this summer, including four phones, two watches, and a smart thermostat. But we’ve still got more look forward to. The Google TV Streamer, heir apparent to the Chromecast legacy, is set to hit store shelves next week. Judging by what we know about the $100 set-top box so far, it’s essentially a souped up Chromecast with Google TV, featuring updated hardware and a new form factor, more storage space, and a built-in Thread radio for smart home hub functionality. 

But with the release date less than a week away, we wanted to ask: what do you want to know about the Google TV Streamer? Drop your questions in the comments here, and we’ll do our best to answer them over the coming weeks.

Everyone remembers their first phone. It’s the first time you can call your friends from wherever you are, take pics on the go, and play Angry Birds (depending on your era). What was your first phone and what do you remember about it? Do you remember it fondly? Share your memories about your first cellular experience!

Out of every smartphone you’ve ever owned, which is the one that stands above the rest as the worst? For me, that would be the Pixel 4. That forehead was ridiculous, and the reason it existed was for movement tracking that never really amounted to much beyond waving to change tracks in a music app. While the Soli Radar lives on in the newest Nest Learning Thermostat, boy, was that hardware useless in a smartphone. I quickly moved on to something else.

But what about you? What stands out in your memory as the worst smartphone you’ve owned? Hit the comments to let us know; perhaps the same devices will come up again and again. Let’s see.

We’ve had ample time with Google’s latest Pixel phones, and the general consensus here at AP is that they’re all quite good, but Google hardware season isn’t over yet. Personally, I’m pretty excited about the Pixel Watch 3, which is set to hit store shelves next week. It’s the first Pixel Watch to come in two sizes (the 41mm we’re used to and a new, larger 45mm variant), and both sizes feature brighter displays with slimmer bezels than previous generations. So far, it’s looking like Google’s newest wearable is going to tick a lot of our boxes.

We’ll be writing all about it in the coming weeks and months, but I wanted to ask: what do you want to know about the Pixel Watch 3? Drop your questions in the comments and we’ll start answering them as soon as we’re able. 

I, for one, usually run my phones free of cases, but after a recent drop that obliterated my Redmagic 9s Pro, I decided to pick up a Pixel 9 as a replacement. With that new purchase came a strong sense that I should probably splurge on a case this time around. So I went all out. I wanted something that looked good, made of leather, so a Bellroy case is what I purchased. It wasn’t cheap, but I’m pretty happy with it, so feel my money was spent well. 

But what about you? What kind of case do you normally go for when you purchase a new phone? What’s your go-to? Is it leather, plastic, rubber, colorful, muted, expensive, or cheap?

Now that Apple is starting to offer more and more of the features that made Android unique, like the recent addition of RCS messaging, it’s getting harder and harder to tell the two systems apart. Where using one operating system over another is becoming less about features and more about looks and branding. Still, there are some areas where Android excels and others where iOS comes out on top. For me, I choose Android because it is still more open than iOS, allowing me to easily sideload whatever I want, and I can even dip into ADB if I really need to change something, like remove a default app. I’ve used iOS plenty, but overall, it just feels locked down, and most workarounds often cost money.

But what about you, what is the major dealbreaker that holds you back from mainlining iOS? Hit the comments to let us know.

Asus took down its bootloader unlocking tool over a year ago, leaving many to question whether the OEM would support the tool again in the future. Mixed signals have been flying about since, though it would seem we finally have our answer. All Asus phones sold after January 2024 will no longer officially support bootloader unlocking, and Asus even claims devices sold before this date may also not be able to be unlocked due to “stability concerns.”

So, after all this time, Asus did what everyone expected and has officially dropped support for its bootloader unlocking tool. For a company that can’t even decide what to do with its Zenfone and ROG Phone lines, with the Zenfone no longer offering a small model, and the ROG Phone forgoing many of the gaming features that allowed the gaming phone line to stand out, it feels like Asus is hellbent on angering the few fans it has left as it chases the ever-elusive mass market.

In a world of fast charging, where it seems like every phone offers some sort of incredibly fast charging speed, is 25w enough in this day and age? Considering we are talking about the Fan Edition line of Galaxy phones, you’d think fast charging would be part and parcel with being some type of super-fan, and yet it isn’t, or at least hasn’t been up to this point. The Galaxy S23FE shipped with 25w charging, so it seems there is a chance the S24 FE could offer the same (click through to read more).

So, is 25w charging fast enough for your needs, or do you require more from your smartphone? Hit the comments to let us know, as I have a feeling most will not be happy if 25w is what we get.

Every time I see a foldable phone, I think, “That looks cool, but why would I want that?” I suspect that, for many of us, that’s all they are — something that looks cool. But it’s not like they’re known for being bad or a waste of money, so what’s keeping us away from them?

Rajesh Pandey explored this very topic earlier this week, highlighting a number of concerns and observations about foldable phones that many of you can probably agree with. From their price and their battery life to their durability and software, there are good reasons why many of us will continue to stick with traditional slab-shaped smartphones for the foreseeable future.

I know I do, and I don’t even use my phone as an alarm; I let my internal clock take care of that. I also know I’m not alone; I’m sure plenty of people sleep with their phones charging on their nightstands. I keep mine there for easy access so that when I wake up in the middle of the night, I can reach for my phone and ensure I won’t get back to sleep. It’s a sick pattern, I admit, so I can totally sympathize with anyone who keeps their smartphone in a separate room while catching some Zs. So hit the comments below and let us know: am I ridiculous for letting my phone control my life, or is it totally normal to want to stay connected by sleeping next to one’s phone?

My worst experience with a phone was, sadly, a Nexus I purchased through Sprint. It was the Nexus S 4G, and it was advertised by both Sprint and Google that it would receive day-and-date updates, but since this was the first Nexus on a carrier, this ended up totally untrue, and despite how many times I notified Sprint and Google that they were falsely advertising day-and-date updates (Google banned me from G+ I was so loud about it, and Sprint banned me from its forums), I was flatly ignored through the entire life of the phone. Worse, the phone wasn’t all that great, offering a laggy experience that was pretty buggy, which is why I was very thankful for the ROM scene. It wasn’t until the Galaxy Nexus launched the next year on Verizon that we finally got official word carrier versions of Nexus phones would not receive day-and-date updates. But I had already been burned, so I didn’t purchase another Nexus until the 5, and I bought it outright from Google to avoid carrier shenanigans, ha

Many smartphones come out every year, but none of them have convinced me to leave my three-year-old iPhone 13 behind. I imagine this is the case for a lot of people, regardless of their platform allegiances, because why spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a new phone that isn’t radically different from your old one?

This is something Nick Todorov touched on earlier this week, as he wondered if we need new flagship phones every year if the innovation is barely there. The reality is pretty simple, though: if you want the newest, shiniest phone, it’s right there. If you don’t, then hey, you’re not missing much, and you can put that money towards your hobby, your home, or new tires for your car because one went flat at the worst time.